Door controller



Jan. 28, 1947. F. PFENT DOOR CONTROLLER 2 sheets-sheet' 1 Filed Jan. l5, 1945 Bnnentw Fr an k PFent l A Gttorneg Jan. 2s, 1947; y F, PFENT y.2,414,894

Doon CONTROLLER- Filed Jan. l5, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 mventor A? Gttornegl Frank Pfont Patented Jan. 28, 1947 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DOOR CONTROLLER v Frank Pfenast. clair, Mich. Application January 15, 1945, Serial No. 572,794 claims. (o1. 164-80) This invention relates to door controllers and particularly door controllers of a spring type.

Objects of the invention. are to provide a simple, inexpensive and compact door controller such Vas will require no oiling or other attention, and

will operate with-o-ut material deterioration over a long time period; to adapt a spring to hold a door either fully opened or fully closed; to afford la simple and convenient regulation of the force applied by a door spring; and to adapt such a spring to be readily applied to a door regardless of which edge is hinged.

These and various other objects are attained by the construction hereinafter described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is an interior elevational view of an upper corner portion of.a door and its frame showing my improved contro-ller applied.

Fig. 2 is a cross sectional view of the same, taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. l.

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. the door in an Open position.

-Eig 4 is a top plan view of the controller, omitting the door and door frame.

In these views,vthe reference character I des- 2, but showing -ignates a screen door, hinged at 2 -to a jamb 3 oi a door'frame.

elongated supporting plate 4 upwardly seatedV My controller comprises an against the head of the frame in close proximity to the jarnb 3 and held in place by screws 5. Up-

bracket Ii, having an end thereof return-bent as indicated at 'l in proximity to the jamb 3, said bracket being pivoted near its described end on the plate 4, as indicated at e. At its other end the bracket is downturned to forma lug 9 and rigidly carries a sho-rt up'standing latch pin I0, selectively engageable in any of several openings Si in the plate 4. Thus the bracket is adjustable about its pivot 8 to extend parallel to the plate e or occupy various divergent relations to said plate, the purpose of this adjustability being hereinafter explained.

Underlying the return-bent end of the bracket is a rectangular block I2 rigidly carrying an upstanding pin I3, swiveling said block on said end. A crank arm I4 projects rigidly from said block and pivotally mounts one end of a substantially horizontal rod I5 having its other end portion slidable in the lug 9. Said rod mounts a coiied spring I6 compressed between the lug s and a nut Ii adjustable on a threaded portion of the rod. Preferably, suitable washers I8 are interposed between the spring extremities and said lug and nut. Rigidly extending from the wardly seated against the plate 4 is an elongated i .block l2 in a substantially transverse relation to the arm I 4 is an elongated lever I9, substantially horizontal and terminally forming an eyelet 28 remote from said block. It is preferred to form the lever with a threaded supporting end which is screwed into the block I2 and may project in either of two opposite directions. Loosely inserted in said eyelet is the upper end of an elongated `arm 2l the lower end of which is pivoted, as indicated at 22 upon a bracket 23 attached by screws 24 or the like tothe door I.

In `use of the described controller, the lever I9 extends in approximate parallelism with the door when the latter is closed and the crankarm I4 projects substantially transversely to the door. In this position of the parts, the coiled spring is under a light compression, suflicient, however, to hold the door lirmly closed. As the door is opened, the arm ZI acts on the lever I9 to rock the crank-arm toward the lug 9 whereby the spring is progressively further compressed, reaching its maximum compression when the crank-arm aligns with the rod I5, the door then being substantially transverse to the door frame, or fully open. Any movement of the door beyond said open position carries the crank-arm past dead center and affords the spring an 'expansion which is eiective to continue and increase such movement.- As is evident from the dash line showing in Fig. 3, the door may not swing far beyond its fully open position, such swinging being limited by engagement of the lever I9 with the jamb 3.

In present practice, such doors are co-mmonly urged to closed position by a tension spring Vwhich is unduly powerful and slams the door violently shut, unless closing is manually checked. Such springs usually have no prcvisionfor regulating their effort and will not permit the door to remain open unless it is manually held or 'secured in some manner in that position. My improved spring installation does not impose a violent force on a door but induces a gradual and steady travel so that-the door reaches either of its extreme limiting positions with little noise, requiring no manual checking.

It will be noted that the bracket 6 may occupy any of three positions determined by selecting one of the openings I I of the plate 4 to receive the latch pin I Il.

The minimum spring elort is applied when the bracket is swung to its position nearest the door and the effort is increased to extent that the bracket is diverged from the door. Adjustability of the bracket G about its pivot may further serve to prevent the door being springheld in open position, when such prevention is desired. rIhus when the bracket is positioned in a maximum proximity to the door, the effect is to permit the lever I9 to encounter the jamb 3 before an alignment of the crankarm I4 and rod l5 is reached. Hence with the bracket so adjusted, the door must always return to closed position when released. This is often desirable to prevent children or others leaving the door open when it should be closed.

Adapting the lever lil to extend in either of two opposite directions from the block I2 suits the described controller for use on a door hinged to either jamb of a door frame.-

It is a feature of the construction that the controller may be readily disconnected from the door, if desired. This may be accomplished by slightly raising the eyeleted end of the lever IS to disengage it from the arm 2l. The return bent end of the bracket E will iiex to the slight extent required to permit of the 4necessary angular movement of the lever i S.

While the contro-ller has been illustrated and described in its application to a screen door, it is obvious that it is also readily applicable, if desired, to any swinging closure.

What I claim is:

1. A door controler comprising an elongated 2 bracket adapted to be mounted upon and beneath the head of a door frame, a guide lug downwardly projecting from an end portion oi the bracket, a crank arm journaled upon and beneath the other end portion of the bracket to turn about a susbtantially vertical axis, a rod extending` lengthwise of the bracket and having its end portions respectively pivoted to the crank.. arm and slidable in said guide lug, an abutment on said rod between the crankarm and guide lug, a spring coiled on the rod and compressed between the guide lug and abutment, ,a lever arm detachably connected to and serving to rock the crankarm to further compress the spring, said lever arm being adapted to project in either of two opposite directions from the crankarm, whereby the controller is adaptable to a door hinged to either jamb of the door frame, and means vfor connecting the lever arm to a door to swing responsive to opening and closing of the door.

2. A door controller comprising an elongated bracket having a guide lug downwardly projecting therefrom, means for pivoting said bracket upon and beneath the head of a door frame, affording said guide lug a movement transverse to the door frame, means for holding said bracket in selective positions of its pivotal movement, a crank arm journaled upon and beneath the other end portion of said bracket to turn about a substantially vertical axis, a rod extending lengthwise of the bracket and having its end portions respectively pivoted to the crankarm and slidable in said guide lug, an abutment on said rod between the guide lug and crankarm, a spring coiled on the rod and compressed between the guide rod and abutment, a lever arm secured to and adapted to rock the crankarm to further compress the spring, and means for connecting the lever arm to a door to swing responsive to opening and closing of the door.

3. In a door controller as set forth in claim 2, a plate attachable to the head of the door frame, said pivot means mounting the bracket on said piate, said means for holding the bracket in selective pivotal positions being jointly carried by the bracket and said plate.

4. In a door controller as set forth in claim 2, a plate attachable to the head of the door frame. said pivot means mounting the bracket on said plate, said means for holding the bracket in selective positions consisting of an upstanding projection on the bracket selectively engageable in apertures formed in the plate.

5. A door controller comprising a bracket, a coiled spring, an abutment for one end of said spring nxed on said bracket, means for pivoting said bracket upon and beneath the head of a door frame, affording said abutment a movement transverse to the door frame, means for holding said bracket in selective potions of its pivotal movement, an abutment for the other end of said spring movable to and from the :lirst mentioned abutment, a lever arm fulcrurned on the bracket means for shifting the movable spring abutment to and from the iixed spring abutment responsive to said lever arm, and means for connecting the lever arm to a door to swing responsive to opening and closing the door.

FRANK PFENT. 

